Needless to say, she had
almost fallen out of her chair in her eagerness to join him, so much so that she
had to keep reminding herself to stay grounded and not get too lost in the
whole whirlwind that had kicked up that night.
It was just nice to have someone to talk to, someone
to share something in common with. He was lonely. She was lonely. Of course,
Rome was a magnificent city to look upon and the streets seemed to go on
endlessly.
Maria had loved getting lost in the back streets and
alleyways of such a historic place but there had only ever been one purpose for
visiting. Rome was a veritable library of romantic fairy tales and legends and
was one of the first locations visited by romance seekers such as herself and
Cameron.
Looking down the street, at the huge steel feet of
the Eiffel Tower, she wondered just how it was that something so incredibly big
could have stood for so long, over a hundred years, yet there it was, as if it
were erected the day before. If only all things were built so carefully and
meticulously, she thought, a sigh escaping her lips as she stopped the
fidgeting at once, reality rearing its mocking head ... just for second.
The moment was over as soon as she spied the person
she had come to meet, drifting through the brightly lit street, the lamp light
causing his beautiful golden hair to glow like the morning sun just peeking
over the edge of the horizon. She smiled, impressed with his outfit for the
night, and put her coffee down to greet her gentleman.
As he approached through the now almost deserted
street, Maria was pleased to see that he had followed her advice and worn a
James Bond style tuxedo and he looked just as she had imagined he would, on all
those nights spent alone in her bed. Her hero had arrived and Paris was to
become their playground for the evening. She looked at her watch - another
freebie, and saw that it was barely 6:30pm.
Plenty of time for them to explore.
“Hey, beautiful!” Cameron said as he reached her
table and stood, admiring her. A huge smile crossed his face.
Maria struggled to control herself, her heart was
racing and threatened to beat right out of her chest but she took a deep breath
and spoke, finally, “Hey ... handsome, it’s so nice to see you again.”
Damn, she knew that was a little desperate sounding,
oh well, too late.
Cameron continued to smile, looking dashing in his
tux. “Likewise, in fact ... I was a little worried you might not show.”
It was Cameron’s turn to feel awkward now and he
hesitated before continuing, “After all, it’s not exactly normal, all this ...
is it?”
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Cameron was as nervous as she was. All her previous fears about not ‘clicking’
with him vanished in that moment and Maria, all at once, felt at ease.
Rising to meet him, she couldn’t help but feel like
a teenager, a teenager just setting out on a journey of romance for the very
first time. It was all still so very new and exciting to her and she never
wanted that feeling to go away - it was an alien feeling, but a welcome one
nonetheless.
“It’s as normal as we make it ... I suppose.” Maria
said shyly, hoping he would agree and she wasn’t disappointed because he
nodded, still smiling.
“You’re right, Maria. Why don’t we go for stroll and
take in the sights Paris has to offer?”
“Yes, why not. I always wanted to visit the Eiffel
Tower and see what the world looks like from up there. Wanna go?” She said,
hoping he would say yes. She craved the companionship that only a like-minded
person could offer her.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s ... take a look.” Cameron said,
sounding a little unsure.
Maria liked the sound of his voice. It was gentle,
yet she could sense there was substance to him, despite the obvious nervousness
he no doubt felt at that moment. That was what attracted her to him in the
first place anyway, those moments of almost boyish shyness, as if he were
really just a teenager, and not a
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